Port Elizabeth – The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape has called upon its members not to put any individual above the organisation, including President Jacob Zuma.
The SACP convened its Provincial Working Committee meeting, preceded by a Special District Council of Alfred Nzo District, over the weekend.
According to a Central Committee report tabled by SACP Provincial Secretary, Xolile Nqatha, reports focused on discussions relating to the challenges confronting the movement and tripartite alliance of the SACP, the African National Congress (ANC) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), including the “problem of corporate capture” and the Constitutional Court judgement on the Nkandla debacle.
In a statement released on Monday, SACP provincial spokesperson, Siyabonga Mdodi said that the organisation believed the people of South Africa should always be placed at the centre.
“The Council urged all of us as a movement to put the organisation above any individual, including the President of the ANC and the Republic, and that our people must always be at the centre of all our actions as the ANC-led movement
“On the posture of those who throw insults at the veterans and the church, the PWC called upon them to be more tolerant of different views and beware of the fact that if you shout at people they will shout back. The best way of providing leadership is to engage them constructively with all the due respect that they deserve,” said Mdodi.
Meanwhile, looking towards the 2016 local government elections, the SACP congratulated the ANC on the staging of the launch of its local government manifesto in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality earlier this month.
Mdodi said that the SACP was confident of an ANC victory in the upcoming local government elections.
“We are of the firm view that the rally represents one of the political moments that require deep reflections within the movement, as the attendance was not what it historically used to be. A moment like this underline the abnormality of the situation.
“We are of the view that there are some internal dynamics that continue to undermine our collective effort to rebuild the region and defend our movement. Those among others are things we need to confront in the Nelson Mandela region,” he said.
The SACP further called upon the Office of the Public Protector to release the report on the Nelson Mandela Memorial fraud investigation “as soon as possible”.
Several high-profile politicians in the Eastern Cape, including former Buffalo City Municipality Mayor Zukiswa Ncitha, have been implicated in the debacle which relate allegations around the procurement of service providers for Mandela’s memorial services and funeral.
The SACP said that releasing reports on the eve of elections “eroded public confidence”.
“This we were raising out of our experience with the Office of the Public Protector which in many occasions releases reports on the eve of elections. That wittingly or unwittingly puts the Public Protector in the political game.
“We have noted that as we get closer to the Local Government Elections, the reports on the Nelson Mandela Fraud is said to be ready soon. It is in this context that we are once again calling upon the Public Protector to release the report on the Nelson Mandela Memorial Fraud and not wait until the eve of the elections as that will continue to erode public confidence on the office of the Public Protector even beyond the incumbent, as it would appear to be not impartial.”
African News Agency
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